FREEDOM OF THE PRESS IN BANGLADESH

Tahsin Khan & 2Sabah Eqbal Kaarisma

Lecturer, Department of Law & Justice, Southeast University, Dhaka.
2
Law Student at Southeast University, Dhaka.
Email: 1tkhan_06@yahoo.com, 2 saba.karishma@gmail.com

Abstract
This article examines the freedom of the press in Bangladesh. This article at first
provides a birds- eye view of the brief history of the medial laws and regulations. Then it
highlights the constitutional provisions relating to freedom of the press and the Printing
Presses and Publications Act, 1973 which provides for the operation of printing presses.
Also it points out the application of the said Act as well as the mechanism for enforcing
it. The article further looks into the interaction among press, government and others.
Finally it strives to lay down some guidelines for enhancing the freedom of the press in
Bangladesh.
Keywords: Freedom of the Press, Fundamental Rights, Trade Licence, Printing
Press.
1.

the national and international activities. It is the

press, which brings programs, policies and
activities of the government to the notice of the
people. Similarly, it keeps the Government
aware of the peoples problems, difficulties,
hopes and aspirations. Thus, the press plays a
dual role. It serves as a bridge between the
Government on one hand and the people on the
other.

Introduction

George Sutherland, an English-born

U.S. jurist and political figure once quoted A free press stands as one of the great
interpreters between the government and the
people. To allow it to be fettered is to fetter
ourselves.

A free press is the symbol of free

people. Nowadays it is difficult for the press to
be free. Either some financial magnates control a
newspaper entirely and have to voice their views
or it is the mouthpiece of a party, and it must
think as the party might direct; or it is under the
thumb of the government and in such case, its
usefulness is condense and independence
compromised. The freedom of press at every
point is hampered and is dominated.

The most important constituent of

democracy is the existence of free and fearless
press. In a democracy, the press must enjoy
complete freedom and not be barred to any
restriction. The voice of the press is the voice of
the people. Censoring the press means the
suppression of peoples voice. Therefore, the
very survival of democracy inevitably depends
upon the freedom of the press. Nevertheless, at
the same time, the press must not fail to follow
its code of conduct and abuse the freedom.

In America, the great newspapers are in

the bands of powerful financial syndicates; in
England, they are in the hands of capitalists; in
Russia, the government mostly controls them.
However, freedom of the press in each case

The press plays a very positive and

constructive role in a democracy only if they try
to stay positive in their activities. It is the
medium, which keeps the citizens informed of

11

depends on the way it reflects the will, the

purpose of the people as a whole, in preference
to that of any class or community or individual.
2.

History of
Bangladesh

Printing

Press

was the printer of the newspaper until the 13th

edition. Probably, Forbes had trained him. It was
during the time, that the printing press faced
severe adversity, though Dhaka had been once
the capital of Bengal and one of the major cities
of the East Bengal at that time.

in

Muntasir Mamun, a Bangladeshi writer

and historian in his book Unish Shatake Dhakar
Mudran o Prakashana has mentioned about 'The
First Report of the East Bengal Missionary
Society. It was in octavo form containing forty
pages. 'Dacca: Printed at the Kattra Press, 1849'
was written on its title page. It suggested that
printing press existed in Dhaka before 1856.
Thus, it can be said that the printing press first
starts working in the year of 1848-49 in Kattra.
Therefore, this report published in 1849 by
Baptist Missionaries is the first printed piece.
Two
more
Bengali
books
named Prahelika and Prarthana Anukram were
from Kattra. The Kattra Press survived around
four years. It is not known whether more were
printed except the report and two books from
there. When Dacca News stopped printing,
another
English
newspaper The
Bengal
Times was published from Dacca press and
existed until the twentieth century.

It has been difficult to trace back the

existence of the first printing press in the
territory of Bangladesh. However, it can only be
speculated that the first printing press in the
territory of Bangladesh was in Rangpur during
1847, which is about 335 km away from Dhaka.
The first printed piece from this printing
press was a weekly newspaper named Rangapur
Barttabaha in August 1847. In addition, the first
two Bengali weekly newspapers were from
Rangpur. Printing machine took more than sixty
years
to
reach East
Bengal or
Dhaka
from Kolkata. The first English weekly
newspaper, The Dacca News was printed and
published from Dhaka in 1856. Therefore, it is
assumed that after nine years of Rangpur press,
the first printing machine of Dhaka was
established and the press was named 'Dacca
Press'.
In the beginning, the Dacca News was a
one-page edition costing two annas per copy. It
was initially a weekly paper coming out only on
every Saturday. Later, with the 13th version, the
pages were increased to four and it also had a
'supplement' paper but then the current market
price became a cause of concern. When the
second volume was published, the pages were
increased to eight. i There were five owners of
Dacca Press who were also the owners of the
newspaper; they were A.M Cameron, N.P
Pogose, J.A Greg, J.P Wise, and K. A. Gani. ii

Later, in 1957, two more machines were

brought to Dhaka but that did not make much
impact on the slack business of printing and
publishing. In 1960, Bangala Jantra was
established, which a watershed was in the
printing history of Dhaka. Since its proprietor
was a Bengali, Bangla books and newspapers
were being published at a frequent rate.
Following this, more machines were brought to
Dhaka. The Printing Press became an important
tool of exchanging thoughts or opinions.
The Brahmo Movement in Bengal played a vital
role in the printing history. The Brahmos
published Dacca Prakash while the orthodox
Hindus published Hindu Hitaishini from Sulov
Jantra in response to the former paper.

It was a turbulent period when the riot

between
English indigo planters
and
Bengali peasants was at its peak. Most of the
owners were zamindars and they published
newspapers
to
secure
their
own
interests. Alexander Forbes, the editor of The
Dacca News wrote in one of the edition of The
Dacca News about their struggle in setting up the
press and planning about the members and how
their press worked. Sreenath Dutta, a Bengali,

In 1862, another machine named 'Nutan

Jantra' was brought to Dhaka but the name of the
owner is still unknown. The monthly Abakash
Ranjika and Chittaranjika in 1862, were printed
by this machine and very few facts are known

12

about the expenses incurred due to printing and

publishing of a single piece from Dacca. In 1863,
an account of the expenses was found in an
advertisement in Dacca Prakash. The
advertisement stated the price of per form of
Bengali printing was six taka and per forme of
English was five taka. iii In the beginning, the
compositors got comparatively higher salary
than the editors did because skilled compositors
were hard to find. For example, the head
compositor of Dacca Prakash received more
salary than the editor - the poet Krishna Chandra
Mazumdar. iv From the twentieth century, the
salary of a compositor started declining because
of the competitive and expansive printing
market.
3.

government to clamp down on the publication of

writings deemed seditious and to impose
punitive sanctions on printers and publishers
who failed to fall in line. In 1908, Lord Minto
promulgated the Newspaper (Incitement to
Offences) Court, 1908, which authorized local
authorities to take action against the editor of any
newspaper that published matter, deemed to
constitute an incitement to rebellion.
However, the media laws in Bangladesh
are more or less similar to that of India. The
media of Bangladesh got their freedom from the
Supreme law of the land, namely, the
Constitution of Bangladesh. Article 39 of the
Bangladesh Constitution, which deals with
freedom of thought, conscience and of speech.
Prior to independence, Bangladeshi media
history began under the authority of external
governments. In 1931, the India Press
(Emergency Power) Act was passed giving the
local Government authority to forfeit the press.
Another landmark measure took effect in 1965
under the Pakistani Government, the Defiance of
Pakistan Ordinance, which restricted the freedom
of the press altogether. The Daily Ittefaq and the
New Nation Press were penalized for criticizing
the Government. Just before independence in
1972, four daily newspapers and a periodical
were found abandoned and their ownership was
vested with the government. In 1972, the
constitution of the Peoples Republic of
Bangladesh was formally endorsed. In this new
constitution, the right of every citizen of freedom
of speech and expression, and freedom of the
press was guaranteed. In 1973, The Printing
Presses and Publication (Declaration and
Registration) Act was introduced. In 2001, the
Dramatic Performance Act of 1876 was repealed
and the copyright ordinance of 1962 was revised
and became law in 2000. On September 16, the
Information Minister said that future legislation
would include an act titled Television Network
(Management and Control) Act 2002. The law
may provide the commercial activities of Cable
operators and distributors.

Brief history of the Media Laws and

Regulations

Mass media in the sub-continent have a

long history and are deeply rooted in the
countrys colonial experience under British rule.
The earliest regulatory measures can be traced
back to 1799 when Lord Wellesley promulgated
the Press Regulations, which had the effect of
imposing pre-censorship on an infant newspaper
publishing industry. The onset of 1835 saw the
promulgation of the Press Act, which undid most
of, the repressive features of earlier legislations
on the subject.
Thereafter on June 18, 1857, the
government passed the Gagging Act which
among various other things, introduced
compulsory licensing for the owning or running
of printing presses; empowered the government
to prohibit the publication or circulation of any
newspaper, book or other printed material and
banned the publication or dissemination of
statements or news stories which had a tendency
to cause a furor against the government, thereby
weakening its authority.
Then followed the Press and
Registration of Books Act in 1867 and which
continues to remain in force until date. Governor
General Lord Lytton promulgated the
Vermicular Press Act of 1878 allowing the

13

4.

confidential information, interfere in a citizen's

secrets, or record private political discussions.
Part IXA of the Constitution deals with abnormal
or emergency situations. If the President believes
that a grave situation threatens the security or
economic life of the country, be it war, external
aggression or internal disturbances, he may
proclaim an emergency. When an emergency is
issued, the rights granted in articles 36-40 and 42
are suspended so that the State
has no restrictions on its ability to make any new
laws or take any executive actions. Article 141A
speaks of issuance, period and revocation of the
emergency; Article 141B discusses the
suspension of fundamental rights and Article
141C deals with the suspension of enforcement
of fundamental rights during emergency. During
emergency, the executives become all powerful.
They can take any executive action regardless of
fundamental rights since the operation of
fundamental rights remain suspended during an
emergency.
Besides the proclamation of emergency,
other restrictions, relating to the security of the
state can be found in Article 39(2). It states the
right of every citizen to freedom of speech and
expression and freedom of the press, but renders
such freedoms subject to the security of the state,
friendly relations with foreign states, public
order, decency or morality, contempt of court,
defamation or incitement to an offence. The
Penal Code, Special Powers Act and the
Contempt of Courts Act prescribe the
punishment for violations that offend these press
limits.
Reference should also be drawn to Article
33, which empowers the Government to detain
anyone, including journalists, in prison, without
trial for six months initially. This Article
provides immunity to the Government against
illegal confinement of a citizen. Under the
Special Powers Act of 1974, the Government
may detain any journalist for six months without
trial in prison.
Article 78 also deserves reference because it
describes the privileges and immunities of
parliament and its members. For example,
members of the press may enter parliament, but
only with permission. The Speaker alone has the
power to authorize the publication of papers,

Constitutional Provision of Freedom

of Press in Bangladesh

Freedom of the press is a fundamental right

of all citizens as guaranteed in the Constitution
of the Peoples Republic of Bangladesh. Article
39 of the Constitution is the most important
Article for this study as it provides provision for
press freedoms:
In article 39 (1) Freedom of thought and
conscience is guaranteed. Also article 39(2)
reads as follows: Subject to any reasonable
restrictions imposed by law in the
interest of the society of the State,
friendly relations with foreign States,
public order, decency or morality, or in
relation to contempt of court,
defamation or incitement to an offence(a) The right of every citizen to
freedom of speech and
expression; and
(b) Freedom of the press is
guaranteed.
Article 39 clearly states that freedom of
thought and conscience is unlimited, but other
freedoms such as speech and expression and
freedom of the press are not without restrictions.
The restrictions referred to in Article 39 assume
action only by law. Without legislative authority,
the executive cannot place any restriction or
limitations on these freedoms. To impose a
restriction, the legislature must make a law only
for that purpose. While a citizen may exercise
such rights in normal situations, extenuating
circumstances may create compelling reasons to
depart from the normal functions of the state.
While Article 39 addresses freedom of the press,
Article 43 provides protection of privacy to the
citizen.
Every citizen shall have the right, subject to
any reasonable restrictions imposed by law in the
interests of the security of the State, public order,
public morality or public health(a) to be secured in his home against entry,
search and seizure; and
(b) to the privacy of his correspondence and
other means of communication.
As interpreted, this provision limits the right
of the press to invade private homes to obtain

14

documents and reports placed or submitted in

Parliament. No member of the press has a right
to take any document out of Parliament without
the permission of the Speaker. Contempt of
Parliament is a punishable offence. In fact,
members of the press are not allowed to attend
any parliamentary committee meetings.

5.2. Mechanisms for Enforcing the

Printing Presses and Publication Act,
1973
The Ministry of Information has been
enforcing the Printing Presses and Publication
Act, 1973 in many ways. First, it uses the
Printing Presses and Publication Act, 1973as a
means to receive and appraise all new
newspaper applications. The Ministry of
Information uses it as the basis to punish any
newspaper or journalist for writing articles that
do not conform to legal guidelines. Its
purported function is to guarantee the right of
expression to national publications. However,
the Printing Presses and Publication Act, 1973s
influence is mixed. On one hand, it supposedly
guarantees freedom of the press, but in practice
it restricts such freedoms.
Mass media laws in Bangladesh tend to
curtail press freedom, particularly so as far as
the continued use of the Special Powers Act is
concerned. The Printing Presses and Publication
Act, 1973 also shows a trend in the government
is limiting the publication of newspapers and
periodicals. For example, in section 9 the
Printing Presses and Publication Act, 1973 says
if a newspaper is not published within three
months of the date on which such declaration is
authenticated or deemed authenticated, the
declaration will become null and void. In the
same Section says that when an established
daily newspaper is not published for three
months and for other newspapers six months,
the publishing rights become null and void,
requiring a new declaration. These sorts of
restrictions and limitations make it difficult for
the press to perform their jobs effectively.
Despite the many negative attributes of the
Printing Presses and Publication Act, 1973,
there are some positive aspects to it. Journalists
often use it to defend their rights to report
freely. For better or worse, it serves the
journalist community as a basis for freedom of
expression.

5.

The Printing Presses and Publication

Act, 1973
The Act outlines the system for the
operation of printing presses and the printing
and publication of newspapers and registration
of books. To become a newspaper or magazine
owner or publisher, permission, declaration and
registration from the government is required. A
proper trade license from Municipal
Corporation is a further requirement. The
district magistrate may authenticate or withhold
authentication of declaration on the basis of the
certificate.
According to Printing Presses and
Publication Act 1973, publication of any
newspaper requires prior written approval of the
Deputy Commissioner. The Act also bars
printing and publishing anything that affects
interest of State and the Government of
Bangladesh. During the tenure of Awami
League Government (1996-2001), the provision
of oath or affirmation was inserted in the law
forcing publisher/printer to an undertaking that
he/she will not publish/print anything against
the interest of the Government. This was
undemocratic behavior of a democratically
elected Government.
5.1. Application of the Printing Presses
and Publication Act, 1973
The application of media legislation is
the implementation of the Printing Presses and
Publication Act, 1973 by the Ministry of
Information, which is the government agency
accountable for communicating with the press
and implementing the Printing Presses and
Publication Act, 1973. Other government
organizations are also involved in the
implementation process as well.

15

No. XXIII of 1973) was passed to provide for the

legality of keeping of printing presses, and the
printing and publication of newspapers and for
registration of books.vii The 1973 law has vested
the authority of issuing the license, or if need be
the canceling the license as well. The legislation
empowers the District Magistrates in Section 20
of the Act to cancel the authentication of the
declaration and under Section 20A the
Government may declare certain publications
forfeited and to issue search warrants to enforce
such activity.
This Act was a crude imitation of an
ordinance promulgated by the head of the
erstwhile military ruler of Pakistan, General
Ayub Khan. The government of Sheikh Mujibur
Rahman scrapped Ayubs law but retained the
old licensing system for printers, publishers and
editors of any book, newspaper or irregular
sheets as stipulated in Ayubs ordinance against
which Bengalis fought for about a decade. viii
Ullah recorded that parliament debated the
Printing Presses and Publications Bill on 19
September 1973 and passed the bill on the same
day on a voice vote acceptance of a minor
amendment from the Treasury Bench and
rejecting Opposition demands to solicit public
opinion. Although the ruling party the Awami
League was committed to scrapping the old press
law the new one was in essence, a duplication of
the old and it had Ayub Khans imprint all over
it.ix
Using the provisions of the Presses and
Publications Ordinance 1973, the government
closed down the weeklies Mukhapatra,
Spokesman,
Lalpataka,
Haq
Katha,
Charampatra, and Desh bangle, Swadhikar,
Swadhinata and Nayajug. x Distressed by this
action, an independent Member of Parliament,
Abdullah Sarker said:

5.3. Issuing licenses under the Printing

Presses and Publication Act, 1973
The licensing process can be
summarized in the following way:
An application form must be submitted to the
District Magistrate (DM), who then forwards
the application to the DFP for name clearance
of the publication. After that, the application is
sent to the Special Branch of Police for an
inquiry about the applicant.
Then the DM can get the declaration of
a Press, Newspaper or magazine, but he cannot
authenticate the declaration unless the
proprietor, printer and publisher are citizens of
Bangladesh; the printer or the publisher was not
convicted of an offence for five years; the
printer or the publisher is sane, the publisher
has financial resources; and the editor possesses
educational qualifications or adequate training
or experience in journalism. If these fields are
not met, the DM can cancel the authentication.
6.

Analysis of the Printing Presses and

Publication Act, 1973

The introduction of licensing system for

the newspapers in the subcontinent dates back to
British colonial rule as do most other acts
dealing with various aspects of freedom and
democracy or lack thereof. It was John Adam;
the acting governor general of India who
introduced the system in March 1823. Adam
intended no one should publish a newspaper or a
periodical without having obtained a license
from the Governor-General-in-Council, signed
by the Chief Secretary. v Six Indians, including
Dwarka Nath Thakur and Rammohan Roy, filed
a petition in the Supreme Court in an attempt to
block Adamsinitiative. The court rejected the
appeal in April 1823, saying: India was not an
independent country, so the laws and rules
consistent with an independent state cannot be
applicable in India. vi As a result, the Adams
regulation, known in the history of subcontinental journalism as Adams Gag, became
law.
Moving into more modern times, we see
that the Printing Presses and Publications
(Declaration and Registration) Act, 1973 (Act

It is nothing but another

black law. The journalists will
not be able to express their
independent opinion. There
will be only a blue print filled
in with the praises for the
government. The aim of the
present
Presses
and
Publications Bill will be to

16

publish news directly by the

Government.xi

7.

publication of newspapers. It says, "No

newspaper shall be printed or published except in
conformity with the provisions of this part and
unless there subsists an authenticated declaration
in respect thereof." xiii Article-7 of the Act is
regarding Declaration of the printer and
publisher. It says, " The printer and the publisher
of every newspaper shall appear, in person or by
agent authorized in this behalf in accordance
with the rules, before the District Magistrate
within whose local jurisdiction such newspaper
shall be printed or published and shall make and
subscribe, in duplicate originals, a declaration in
Form B.xiv

Critique of the Printing Presses and

Publication Act, 1973

There have been some deviations in the

application of the Printing Presses and
Publications (Declaration and Registration) Act,
1973. These deviations are customarily made,
generally to serve the purpose of the executive
branch of government and others who may be
exercising administrative powers. It should be
noted here that under Section 12 of the Act, the
District Magistrate holds power to authenticate
any declaration and he is the sole and final
authority in this respect. Now in Bangladesh in
practice, any application is sent to the Ministry
of Home Affairs which decides after police
enquiry whether a declaration shall be
authenticated and the newspaper be permitted to
be published. Undoubtedly, this is a gross
deviation from the provisions of existing laws.
It can be argued with some credibility that
decisions are made on political as opposed to
professional considerations. In other words, a
friendly attitude to the person or persons
signing a declaration is a good thing to have.
In the final analysis, this kind of activity clearly
supports the trend of limiting the publication of
newspapers and periodicals by the government.
8.

9.

Desired
Press
Reforms
and
Reformation in the Media Sector

The New York based Committee to Protect

Journalists (CPJ) published a report on March
2014, stating that the dividing line between
politics and journalism is more blurred than
ever in Bangladesh. Bangladesh, out of the
nine countries, was experiencing a decline in
press freedoms. It was also noted that
journalists in Bangladesh were attacked from
all sides and have very low life security. xv
There have been and still they are given threats
to press freedom in Bangladesh. Inqilab, one of
the nations oldest Bengali language
newspapers was closed temporarily on
January 16, 2014 after the daily reported that
Indian troop had taken part in a crackdown in
Sathkhira. The newspaper continues to be
published online but four journalists, including
Ahmed Atiq, lead reporter of the story, were
arrested at the Inqilab office. Journalists in
Bangladesh believe that Inquilab is likely to
face the same outcome as Amer Desh, another
pro-opposition daily whose printing press was
raided and sealed by police in April
2013 after arrest of its editor Mahmudur
Rahman.

Can the publisher or company really

be sued under this Act?

On June 2, 2010, the government

cancelled the declaration of the Bangla daily
Amar Desh citing that it has no authorized
publisher. Acting editor of the daily Mahmudur
Rahman was arrested at its office in the same
day. Deputy Commissioner of Dhaka Mohibul
Haque told The Daily Star, "Declaration of the
newspaper has been cancelled as it has no
publisher."xii
The District Court has cancelled the
declaration according to Article-5 and
Article-7 of Part-III of the Printing Presses and
Publications (Declaration and Registration) Act,
1973. Article-5 of the act is regarding

The major proposals for reform

concentrate on removing ambiguous terminology
in section 2 of the Printing Presses and
Publication Act, 1973 and revoking the
imprisonment
and
newspaper
closure

17

punishments in the law. The Printing Presses

and Publication Act, 1973 and the Special
Powers Act, 1974 have been partially repealed.
The recent move by the Bangladesh Press
Council to frame a code of conduct for
journalists and lay down professional
qualification for editors has created some
resentment and misgivings among journalists.

The limited protection that current laws

offer to press freedom has led to violations of
this fundamental right, in particular during times
of political change. In addition, investigative
journalism is rare in Bangladesh. The causes for
this deficit lie mostly in the lack of training and
resources, the fear of repercussions in a judicial
system that has yet to prove its commitment to
the cause of press freedom, and the limited
independence of media outlets because of their
ownership structures.

Many of the current laws are affecting

the media which need to be revised in order to
respond to the needs of the 21st century and so
that they are in line with international standards
in this field. There is an urgent need for a
broadcasting policy to regulate the ongoing
expansion of the broadcasting sector and ensure,
among other issues, that the allocation of
frequencies is carried out in a fair and inclusive
manner.

Further, to call for legal reforms and a

stronger commitment to press freedom,
participants at the IPI (International Press
Institute) consultative meeting also stressed the
need for media companies to develop internal
governance structures that ensure editorial
independence and strengthen press freedom.

Numerous
television
and
radio
channels, community radios and internet portals
have been set up in recent years and deregulation
in this field may lead to concentration of media
ownership, cross ownership and politicization of
the broadcasting sector, which would be
damaging to the development of independent
media institutions representative of the
multiplicity of ideas and opinions within
Bangladesh society.

Media experts, especially broadcast industry

insiders, are concerned about the draft national
broadcasting policy. The proposal takes into
account guidelines for broadcasting licensing
along with advertisements and a section on the
nature of programming.
With 40 Rules and Regulations,
covering 46 approved government and private
television channels, the policy includes several
clauses that demarcates boundaries that
programming must not cross. It also strengthens
the hand of the Information Ministry in decision
making, including the issuing of broadcasting
licenses. Clearly, the challenges for Bangladeshi
media will continue.

The authorities must ensure that the

representatives of the media and other
independent experts have sufficient input in the
drafting of the new broadcasting policy through a
clearly defined system of public consultation.
The IPI Bangladesh National Committee and the
IPI Secretariat in Vienna shall seek to ensure that
any policy developed to regulate the
broadcasting sector fully respects the principle of
press freedom and reflects international
democratic standards.

Media and journalists have been

striving for ages for their independence,
tolerance and understanding in their profession,
which, lege artis, only naturally results from
honestly, adequately and responsibly performed
work, conventions and customs of professional
ethics. It is only by firmly upholding the
profession that media can promote and protect
human rights and come out with clean hands
from the process favoritism.

Contempt of court charges, which have

been handed down to journalists for criticizing
court decisions or publishing information
deemed likely to jeopardize a fair trial, have led
to self-censorship, in particular with regard to
politically sensitive issues.

18

It is a generally accepted opinion that

journalists are not those who start conflicts, but it
is when political leaders and corporate magnates
manipulates the media only then severe conflicts
arises. This is not an easy and simple task since
words are a specific type of unconventional
weapon whose lethality is difficult to measure by
legal norms. Yet, this is the only way to rebuild
the trust of readers, listeners and viewers and
restore the role that the media should play in a
free democratic society the role of a watchful
and uncompromising guardian of democratic
values and defender of public interest.

remote areas and promoting sensible journalism

and accuracy of information can also create a big
makeshift towards ensuring press freedom.
Positive program for journalists,
reporters and sub-editors/newsroom editors on
social crucial issues (like; poverty, food security,
adaptation of climate change, livelihood, health
and nutrition, gender equality, governance etc)
can make the journalist community aware of the
importance of press freedom.
Training of the journalists Trainers
(ToT) and support program (legal aid, treatment
and rehabilitation) for the journalists, who are
victims of violence can make a difference to
encourage journalists to act more professionally.
Interaction program (with members of civil
society and other related stake holders) for
understanding benefits of Freedom of Press and
Freedom of Expression will also create a
consensus and thus ensure effectiveness of
governments when and where it fails to respect
individual freedom thus freedom of the press.

The media, however, cannot think itself

to be omnipotent, and still proclaim itself a
catalyst of a liberal democratic system
functioning in the country. The politician,
because of the inherent attribute of leadership
that comes with his/her vocation, will have to
lead by example in developing the mindset for
the democratic spirit. The media professionals
will have to do the same in order to be able to
spread the democratic spirit through their
writings and commentaries. The society should
become tolerant of opposing viewpoints with the
practice of democracy for a long time. Therefore,
a movement to perpetuate democratic practices
in our society should make the principal effort to
ensure press freedom in the country.

10. True Picture of Freedom of the Press

in Bangladesh:
Bangladesh is a pre-dominantly Muslim
country in Southeast Asia. It gained
independence on 16 December 1971 after a long
and bitter liberation war waged against Pakistan.
Shortly thereafter, a democratic government and
a liberal constitution were adopted and a general
election was held the following year. However,
democratic progress was quickly curtailed when
a trend towards authoritarianism began with oneparty rule in 1975 and endured for sixteen years.
Eventually, this regime was toppled in 1991, but
the road to democracy and media freedom has
been a long and hard fought.

The correct and just use of the Right to

Information Act (RTI) is necessary. It aims to
improve transparency. It applies to all
information held by public bodies, simplifies the
fees required to access information, overrides
existing secrecy legislation, and grants greater
independence to the Information Commission
tasked with overseeing and promoting the law.
The law extended to cover private corporations
would bring even more transparency in every
sphere of the society.

The 1990s has marked a new era of

media freedom as granted in the Constitution.
Despite these freedoms, the media face many
challenges in performing their functions. While
the media is a large sector and free in
Bangladesh, members of the press and media
routinely face violence or restrictions making it

Capacity building of media houses,

specially publishing from outside Dhaka can
make a big difference in making grassroots
journalists knowledgeable of the importance of
press freedom. Skill development for the
journalists and photojournalists, working from

19

difficult to practice journalism or carry out media

activities in a free manner.

an independent press because it can pursue

democratic goals and objectives.

Richard Davis, a journalist and writer of

fiction and drama, known foremost as the first
American war correspondent to cover the
Spanish-American War, the Second Boer War,
and the First World War, asserts that
restrictions on the press which hamper the
presss functioning are believed also to hamper
the functioning of the democratic system itself.xvi
However, trends towards privatization of
broadcasting and advertising have given the
media greater independence than ever before.

The most important ingredient of

democracy is the existence of free and fearless
press. In a democracy, the press must enjoy
complete freedom and should not be subjected to
any restriction. The voice of the press is the
voice of the people. Censoring the press means
the suppression of peoples voice. Therefore, the
very survival of democracy inevitably depends
on the freedom of the press. However, at the
same time, the press must not fail to follow its
code of conduct and misuse the freedom.

Press freedom is valued in democracy

because of the inherent value it has in
safeguarding democracy. There is an intricate
link between democracy and press freedom.
Legal constraints are presently a tropical issue to
the nature and composition of the media
fraternity in Bangladesh.
Successive
governments in the country have moved to
consolidate power and to promote policies,
which were retaining from the colonial period in
a number of statutes. xvii In Bangladesh, the
majority of the regulations used to limit press
freedom, which had their origins in the colonial
period. During the process of decolonization, the
major governing instruments were retain and are
available to the Bangladesh government for
control of the press. It is true there is a complex
link between democracy and press freedom.

Most of the current laws were passing

during the British colonial regime. Most of the
colonial press regulations for controlling the
press to serve their own stakes. They argue that
citizens / journalists in Bangladesh are for the
most part free to express views with which the
government disagrees. However, they must
constantly live under the pressure of official
crackdown/ threat or harassments. Some laws
have a tendency to prevent disclosure of
information embarrassing to the government,
information that has nothing to do with state
security or public order. The Official Secrets
Act, the Special Powers Act, the Printing Presses
and Publication Act, The Code of Criminal
Procedure, Successive governments echoed
promising words about exercising freedom of the
press but often turned the other way when things
were published that irritated the ruling classes
and consequently they scolded the press. The
restrictive regulations, which govern the press,
still exist in Bangladesh. Idealistically in order to
be free, the press has to be Independent of
governmental, political or economic control or of
control of materials essential for its production
and dissemination, and Pluralistic through the
absence of media monopolies and the existence
of the greatest possible number of newspapers,
magazines and periodicals reflecting the widest
possible range of opinion within the society.

Since the independence in 1971 with a

heavy bloodshed and nine-month struggle, there
have been attempts to get freedom for the press
and subsequent clampdowns by various regimes
under various political bars in Bangladesh. The
wave of democratization in the early 1990s
heralded a rebirth of the debate on press
freedom.
As
Bangladesh
started
its
democratization process through the transition
from military rule to civilian rule in early 1990s,
the fundamental relationship between freedom of
the press and emerging democracy was realized
and integrated in the debates. It was a realization
by different sections of the society that the
growth of democratic institutions depends upon

Hence, their intentions are not

necessarily suitable for a society striving for
democracy. Some laws have a tendency to

20

peoples religious and social sentiments.

International Press Institute (IPI) finds the
following laws in Bangladesh as obstacles to
media freedom: a) Criminal defamation b) The
Special Powers Act of 1974. Assessing the
countrys media environment (2008) IPI found
judicial harassment of journalists by way of
defamation charges, under sections 500, 501 and
502 of Bangladeshs Penal Code of 1860 and
under the Code of Criminal Procedure of 1898,
has been common. Similarly, the Special Powers
Act of 1974 allows detention of up to 120 days
without charge and in the past this law was used
to arrest journalists

prevent disclosure of information embarrassing

to the government, information that has nothing
to do with state security or public order. In this
regard, scholars should not ignore those laws,
which can in effect perform the function of
major press regulations such as the Printing
Presses and Publication Act 1973, the Official
Secrets Act, the Special Powers Act, the Code of
Criminal Procedure, the Penal Code and so forth.
The Penal Code are few of many laws,
which can in effect perform the function of
major press regulations. The Constitution of
Bangladesh guarantees freedom of the press
under Article 39(1). But when information itself
is restricted, then the significance of freedom of
expression is weakened. The question of press
freedom has now become one of the deciding
factors of an individuals rights against
government perception of the public interest. The
more freedom the press gets the better stability in
every system in society will be achieved within
which individuals operate. In Bangladesh, no
concrete steps have been taken by any
government to free the press, except for lifting of
censorship imposed by the various stripes of
military regimes.

In
December
2009,
authorities
reportedly drafted unofficial guidelines for media
houses regarding television talk shows, noting
that provocative statements could lead to the
banning of a show. Military intelligence and
public relations officials monitor media content,
and while they no longer issued regular guidance
to media outlets regarding content, they did
occasionally caution specific journalists on
coverage of particular stories or topics.
The most draconian of the laws against
free flow of information in Bangladesh is the
Official Secrets Act of 1923. It bars public
servants to provide to anyone any secret
government plan, document, note, sketch, model,
signal, information etc. which are related to
restricted places and which if made public could
pose threat to the security of the State.
Nevertheless, the Government keeps all its
decisions, including very trivial ones out of
public knowledge under the pretext of this law.
This is abuse of law to curtail free flow of
information and hence, undemocratic. The
Governments Service Rules of 1979 also
prohibits public servants to disclose official
information to press or to non-official persons.
However, despite presence of such stringent
legal regime, media in Bangladesh is very bold
in promoting peoples rights and is critical
against government. A favors made by some
ministers and government officials in providing
information to the media-men tacitly has enabled
media to play this role. However, here too,

Although
the
Constitution
of
Bangladesh provides for freedom of expression
subject to reasonable restrictions, the press is
constrained by national security legislation as
well as sedition and criminal libel laws.
Journalists can also still be charged with
contempt of court or be arrested under the 1974
Special Powers Actwhich allows detentions of
up to 90 days without trialfor stories that are
critical of government officials or policies.
The Official Secrets Act may be used to
hide government information. Empowered by the
Printing Presses and Publications Act, a district
magistrate can revoke any publication license
and shut down a publication. The Penal Code has
provisions to punish anyone including journalists
to protect national security, law and order and
prevent moral decay. The Code of Criminal
Procedure empowers the government to ban any
publication which is treasonous and hurts

21

sometimes professionalism of media-men suffers

at the cost of information.

bridge between the Government on the one hand

and the people on the other.

The press in a democratic Government

must be free, frank and fearless. A free press
always has a positive influence, whether be it on
poverty, on government or on violence and
conflict issues. It is believed that the weaker the
constraints on the press, the more developed a
country will be. By promoting freedom of the
press, any country can provide itself with a
powerful development tool. Development is a
complex process in which the press can play a
fundamental role by making individuals aware of
their rights and of their freedoms, they should
logically enjoy in a democratic society.

The government directly influences

coverage of the press by the limitations imposed
in the Printing Presses and Publication Act,
1973. For example, if an event related to the
military takes place, newspapers cannot report
freely on the event because it is a prohibited
subject that cannot be dealt with without prior
approval of the Ministry of Defense.
While the government does not directly
force a newspaper to cover an event in a certain
way, the governments influence is not only in
its ability to impose, but also in its ability to
restrict based on justifications in the Printing
Presses and Publication Act, 1973.
The government heavily influences the
activities of the media and the press by dictating
their actions. In cases where newspaper reporters
go beyond their allowed guidelines, they face
potential replacement. Often times, journalists
practice self-censorship out of fear of the
consequences of speaking out against the
government. Violent attacks and intimidation by
government leaders and political activists are
usual consequences of news reporting.
By threatening to use the Printing
Presses and Publication Act, 1973 against any
independent newspaper, the government can
easily influence. One method of influence is
enticing management with offers to use better
facilities. In other words, the government may
offer money, office space, and other facilities to
newspapers with pro-government leanings that
act in defense of the government. Similarly,
independent newspapers that do not praise the
government are not given any privileges.

While the press should enjoy freedom

to perform its role effectively, it should not treat
such freedom as a license to defame anybody. It
should not publish any views or support any
movement that violates our Constitution or is
against the territorial integrity and unity of the
country.
11. Interaction
between
Government and Others

Press,

Media serves as an intermediary

between individuals and government, informing
the latter of peoples needs and acting as a shield
against crises and situations of extreme
deprivation; it holds governments accountable
and makes their actions more transparent; and,
along with other indicators of good governance,
it creates a business-enabling environment, a
climate conducive to more effective public
affairs management, and so forth.
The press plays a very positive and
constructive role in a democracy. It keeps the
people informed of the national and international
news and happenings. It brings to the notice of
people the programs, policies and activities of
the Government. Similarly, it keeps the
Government in the knowledge of the peoples
problems, difficulties, hopes and aspirations.
Thus, the press plays a dual role. It serves as a

12. Conclusion
More than ever, the people of Bangladesh
are exposed to a wide array of information and it
is affecting all strata of life in all regions of the
country. The free flow of information has not
only
empowered
women
and
the
underprivileged; it has also generated enthusiasm
among all segments of the populace to take part
in development activities. However, the

22

democratization process resulting in greater

access to information should not mask the fact
that the state still plays a large role in
manipulating the media. There are a number of
obstacles standing in the way of effective media
reforms such as the countrys large illiteracy
rate. However, democratization and the gradual
deregulation of the media are bound to have
mixed effects, such as less government
interference, and with it less media
accountability. The Presses and Publication Act,
1973 is the wall that journalists lean against,
depend on when they criticize government
bodies and officers, and defend themselves
against various allegations.

7.

8.
9.

10.

11.
The recent developments in Bangladesh are
like an old nightmare that is beginning again:
arbitrary arrests, closure of news media, attacks
on journalists by ruling party supporters, torture
of detainees and intimidation. Bangladesh should
and must get rid of the old demons of intolerance
and violence against the journalists and every
person behind making news.

12.
13.
14.
15.

References
16.
1.

2.

3.

4.
5.

6.

The Dacca News File, 1856, quoted in

Unish Shatake Dhakar Mudran O
Prakashana.
From the Proceedings of the
Government of Bengal in the General
Department, January, 1865, pp.4-5,
from Unish Shatake Dhakar Mudran
and Prakashana by Muntasir Mamun.
Published in Dacca Prakash, 1863,
such details are also referred by
Muntasir Mamun in Unish Shatake
Dhakar Mudran O Prakashana.
From Muntasir Mamuns Unish Shatake
Dhakar Mudran O Prakashana, p.43.
The Printing Presses and Publications
Act, the Bangladesh Gazette,Ministry of
Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs
(Secretariat,
Dhaka:
Bangladesh
Government Press,1973).
Nurul Kabir, Media Regime in
Bangladesh: Rule of Repressive Law,
In Odhikar: Proceedings of the National

17.

23

Workshop on the Media, Democracy

and Human Rights, ed. Odhikar (Dhaka:
Odhikar 2003).
Mahfuz Ullah, Press under Mujib
Regime (Dhaka: Kakoli Prokashani,
2002), p.94.
Ibid.
Proceedings of the Parliament, Vol.3.
No. 4. Bangladesh Parliament, Ministry
of Law, Justice and Parliamentary
Affairs.
Mohit Moitra, A History of Indian
Journalism (Calcutta: National Book
Agency, 1993), p.72.
Debesh Roy, Upanibesher Samaj O
Bangla Sangbadik Gadya- Colonial
Society and Bengali Journalists Prose,
(Calcutta: Papirus,1990), p.22.
The Daily Star (June 2, 2010), p.1.
The Printing Presses and Publications
Act,1973.
Ibid.
http://thediplomat.com/2014/03/banglad
eshs-media-development-andchallenges.
Richard Davis, The Press and American
Politics: the New Mediator (New York:
Longman, 1991), p. 118.
Sheikh A. Salam, Mass Media in
Bangladesh: Newspaper, Radio and
Television (Dhaka: PIB Press, 1997),
p.25.